Soft-Shelled Turtle

At a glance

Soft-Shelled Turtle (Apalone ferox) is an IUCN Least Concern reptile with specific harvest rules tracked in 1 of 66 jurisdictions covered by CatchRules.

Confirmed by 14,494 research-grade iNaturalist observations, with Florida, Georgia, and Alabama the top jurisdictions by observation count.

Notable details

• Florida softshells are the largest softshell turtles in North America, with females reaching 24 inches.
• Their shell is covered in leathery skin rather than the hard scutes found on most turtles.
• Females grow up to three times larger than males of the same species.
• They can absorb dissolved oxygen through specialized throat tissue, extending time submerged significantly.
• Their long, flexible neck can reach halfway down the shell, giving them a powerful bite reach.

Where Soft-Shelled Turtle are seen

• Florida13,425 iNat obs
• Georgia439 iNat obs
• Alabama405 iNat obs
• California147 iNat obs
• South Carolina53 iNat obs
• Louisiana13 iNat obs

Jurisdictions with rules for Soft-Shelled Turtle

• MissouriUnited States · official source

Background

The Florida softshell turtle (Apalone ferox) is a species of softshell turtle native to the Southeastern United States.

Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's Soft-Shelled Turtle article (CC BY-SA). Visit Wikipedia for the full entry.

Other reptiles on CatchRules

• Pond SliderTrachemys scripta
• Painted TurtleChrysemys picta
• North American RacerColuber constrictor
• Ring-Necked SnakeDiadophis punctatus